Emboldened by their recent electoral victories, foes of workers’ rights in the U.S. House of Representatives Nov. 13 passed a homeland security measure that would allow President George W. Bush to strip collective bargaining and civil service rights from thousands of public servants with only limited appeal rights.

With a 299 to 121 vote, the House approved a bill that creates a Department of Homeland Security—including President Bush’s demand that workers lose their voice on the job when it comes to fighting unfair practices. The bill would form a 170,000-worker department, consolidating various federal agencies with some role in domestic security. But under the guise of “national security,” the bill also would take away these workers’ existing rights to have a union and civil service protection. That means workers would no longer have a voice on such basic workplace issues as hiring, firing, promotions, appraisals, disciplinary actions and matching pay to job duties. It also would weaken workers’ voices in objecting to poor management practices that ill serve U.S. taxpayers. Advocates for workers expect the U.S. Senate to follow suit next week.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called the bill “a shameful and unprecedented assault on workers” and an affront to unions’ support for the war against terrorism when “firefighters, emergency personnel and construction workers who put all else aside during the tragic events of Sept. 11 showed the world that being a union member is no obstacle to doing one’s job or performing feats of bravery and patriotism.”

“The homeland security legislation has allowed the administration to advance long-stalled schemes to eliminate the checks and balances ensured by collective bargaining and to transform the civil service into a politicized workforce of hacks and cronies,” added AFGE President Bobby Harnage Sr. “This is not the way to make the American people more secure.”

As they meet in a rare post-election lame duck session, members of Congress also are expected to pass a stopgap measure to fund government operations until Jan. 11. This fall, Congress was unable to compromise on most appropriations bills that fund vital government programs—including education and worker safety—for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

When newly elected members of Congress return to the nation’s capital in January, they are likely to continue pursuing the Bush administration’s anti-worker agenda: approving a prescription drug bill that benefits pharmaceutical and insurance companies rather than seniors, seating federal judges bent on rolling back workers’ rights and making the temporary tax cuts for the wealthy permanent.

During the current lame duck session, there are 49 Republican senators, 49 Democratic senators and two independents—one of whom votes with Democrats. Therefore, the Senate today remains controlled by Democratic leaders. After the New Year, however, control will shift to Republicans. Voters enlarged the House Republicans’ existing majority as well, leaving the White House and both chambers of Congress controlled by anti-worker, pro-corporate leaders.

“This is a very dangerous time,” acknowledged Sweeney, outlining unions’ plans to stand firm following this month’s disappointing election results. “If [Congress and the White House] try to drive a corporate agenda, we’ll fight them every step of the way,” he said. “If they stand with working families, we’ll support them.”

Unions will step up organizing efforts to build the union movement and push a working families agenda rooted in what matters most to working people: good jobs, health care and retirement security.

“We’re not going to wait for either party,” Sweeney said. “We’re going to drive an agenda and insist that the officials who are elected to represent America’s working families follow.”